🎬 Brad Pitt accidentally gave me great travel advice
Plus: Long hill names and a Chile/Peru rivalry
Welcome to Itchy Feet! I’m Daniel and happy you’re here. Whether you’re new or back again, it’s great to see you.
This newsletter combines three of my favorite things: traveling, learning, and writing. I hope you enjoy.
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Ok, let’s get to it! ✈️
Okay, for the record, I don’t know Brad Pitt.
He’s a legendary actor who’s won an Oscar and starred in countless classic films, including Ocean’s 11, Fight Club, and Inglorious Bastards.
I appreciate his skill as an actor even though certain parts of his family and personal life are controversial.
In any event, one of Brad Pitt’s characters, Nick from the 2024 movie Wolfs, recently taught me a powerful lesson.
There’s a chaotic scene and the main characters (including Pitt) need to make an escape.
Without spoiling the details, Nick (Brad Pitt) asks the character Kid (played by Austin Abrams) a pivotal question:
What story are you trying to tell?
In the context of the movie, this was related to a crime scene.
However, when I heard this line, I couldn’t help but reflect on my life.
I thought to myself: 🤔
“Dang, what story am I trying to tell?”
I was traveling on a plane, so my thoughts immediately went to the trip I was on. It made me think of my goals and intentions.
This is a question we should all be asking ourselves – in life and when we travel.
In life:
What kind of people are we trying to become?
What impact do we want to have?
How do we want to be remembered?
For travel:
What goals do we have for the journey?
What do you want to remember most about this experience?
While in a trip's planning stage, it’s easy to do everything except ask questions like these.
I’ve for sure been there.
I’d be caught up with the planning, packing, going, and doing.
We get lost in the new things, the different people, and fresh experiences.
But eventually those will all be memories. Those memories become stories. Hopefully, you can share them with your family, friends, kids, or grandkids.
Ideally, they become great stories. 🌟
Maybe they’ll be a book to share with the world.
Maybe these memories are future Substack posts.
I think it helps narrow your focus when you remind yourself why you’re traveling. More intention builds a more meaningful experience in my opinion.
So, my friend, what story are you trying to tell?
🚀 Travel Quote of the Week
“Travel is the frivolous part of serious lives, and the serious part of frivolous ones.”
- Anne Sophie Swetchine
🌍 Fun World Fact
Theres a hill in New Zealand with one of the longest names on Earth. Taumata Hill’s official name is “Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu.”
This is Maori for “"the place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as 'landeater’, played his flute to his loved one.”
The place is named after Tamatea, a Maori chief who spent days mourning the loss of his brother who was killed in battle on the hill.
It’s located near Hawke's Bay in the North Island.
🎏 Culture Corner
If you ever find yourself in Peru or Chile, odds are pretty good you’re going to try pisco.
What is pisco?
This is a liqueur made from fermented grapes within the same family as aguardiente (fire water).
South American beginning
When Spanish Conquistadores invaded Peru in the 1500s, they brought wine grapes from the Canary Islands. Leftover grapes they didn’t use to create wine were given to indigenous farmers.
Some planted their own vineyards in Ica, leading to a distilled clear brandy called aguardiente.
In 1572, the coastal town of Santa María Magdalena was founded with a port named Pisco.
This became a commercial hub and one of the biggest exports was this aguardiente. Over time, the town and the drink became solely known as “Pisco” because of the port.
Pisco production expanded into what is now Chile in the 1700’s. At this time, pisco was now internationally famous.
Chile’s economy started to boom and in 1931 they issued a Designation of Origin (DO) for pisco. This ignited a dispute with Peru over who had the rights to the name “Pisco.” However, in 1999 Peru developed their own Designation of Origin (DO) for “Pisco.” Ongoing legal battles to take ownership of the name “Pisco” have ensued.
The pisco sour is the national drink for both Peru and Chile. Despite the same name, each country's distilled spirit has a unique taste and style. World Pisco Sour Day happens the first Saturday in February each year.
Fun places to drink pisco:
According Peru Explorer, there are many pisco tasting tours all over Peru.
However, the Ruta del Pisco in Peru consists of Ica, Lima, Moquegua, Arequipa, and Tacna.
Try Taberna Quierolo in Lima or the Cachina (best for Pisco Puro) and Vista Alegre (best for Pisco Aromático) wineries in Ica.
According to Culture Trip Chipe Libre is a solid starting point for your pisco sour journey in Santiago, Chile.
In northern Chile, the Elqui Valley is the country’s premier pisco producing region.
Pisco Elqui is the birthplace of Chile’s handcrafted pisco. TripAdvisor lists the Doña Josefa de Elqui distillery as the top choice to book a tour.
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That’s all for this week my friend. Once again, thanks for reading and your time. I feel truly grateful you chose this newsletter. More travel inspiration is coming next week!
Much love,
-Daniel
Let’s connect:
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P.S. Please let me know if you see any errors in this post! I do my best to share true information but mistakes sometimes happen.
Enjoy older Itchy Feet posts:
• ☮️ Criticism Abroad? How to travel when your country isn’t popular
• 🧉 9 ways to not be an ignorant tourist when you travel
•🌟 If you travel and don’t do this, you’re wasting golden opportunities
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Really, what story are we trying to tell? Very important. In my fiction I always like to include some moral issue. Or something about strong women protagonists, which I like to write about in non-fiction too. Good role models I think for other women, and this is Women's Intl History month, so I've been getting my writing in! Btw, pisco sounds like a drink I'd love to try- Saludos, Daniel! PS following you on Bluesky
Great question! I think I don’t really think of the story I’m trying to tell beforehand so much as after it’s happened? So i guess it’s memories for me that (at least) make up my Substack writing. I’m gonna give your question more thought before or on my next trip! And…a pisco sour is yummy!